now i don't get upset about my birthday; in fact i celebrate it the majority of february; however that card is just the perfect amount of sassy for me. i poked around her shop a bit, & found other fun things - her sassy versions of the keep calm poster crack me up, but i still want the original.

i'm not doing anything huge to celebrate my day. tomorrow is also the unofficial homeschool day at disneyland, so we'll spend the first half of the day there. in addition to being around hundreds of homeschoolers, we'll get to see friends who moved away a few years ago. we're very excited about that! we shall leave disney early, because manlyman has to work, & i want to spend as much of my birthday with him as i can. i'm mushy that way :-)

that's all the chatting i've time for today, but before i go here is a royal birthday proclamation: tomorrow you all must celebrate along with me! you must dress in your fancies, & have more cake than is wise. the flavor is up to you :-)

25 February 2009

no, we have yet to build a time machine that works; though we are still working on it; but we did find a way to send our photos back in time. the bakumatsu koshashin generator will age your photos in the blink of an eye, for free. you have to become addicted too give it a try!

***

for almost a week thehobbit has been playing obsessively with our various calligraphy kits. after trying a few different pens; including one made from bamboo; he settled on the quill he made in hogwarts a few summers ago.

the pens in those inexpensive calligraphy kits are quite a pain to use. only one came with a reservoir attachment, & none of them write smoothly. i figured they would be good for a child just learning; or merely wanting to play; but i hadn't figured on the level of frustration they'd bring.

i have a few quality pen sets from my days as an aspiring scribe; but was hesitant to let thehobbit use them. after watching him for a few days however, i realized he was taking much care with the crummy pens, & his quill - using them properly, & even rinsing them when he was ready to switch to a different pen or nib.

once the good pens were his to use, he became obsessed. since then he's taken to writing a few times a day, for long stretches at a time. his penmanship is improving quickly, & more importantly - he is having fun! the bonus for me is that he finally has given up on writing things as he thinks they ought to be spelled. with new abilities come a desire to do the thing properly i suppose.

not one to be left out, daddy-o is now daily staining his fingers with ink. it's sweet to see them quietly writing away, the only sound the scratchings of the pens on their papers, & the occasional giggle when one writes something silly.

i only took out the writing kits to make up for the fact that our pestilence was causing him to miss a hogwarts class - little did i know that it would set us on the road to another great adventure. i'm now waiting to hear if he'll add scribe to the list of things he's going to be when he's grown.

i'm off to see about lunch - i hope you have fun with the photo generator! thanks for all the well wishes; both here & via email; all at the belfry are back to their normalish selves.

~peace.

edited to add :: it seems that blogger removes spaces between my paragraphs even back in time!

18 February 2009

i know i gush quite a bit about them, but i cannot help it - i love my girlfriends! i'm blessed to have such wonderful, warm-hearted women in my life.

***

today is wednesday, which means crafting night! i had to miss last week's gathering, so am really looking forward to the evening. if i told you how bizarre these sweet women are, i don't think you'd believe me.

i'm also looking forward to the weekend, because i have plans with a dear friend i rarely get to see these days.

***

of late i'm missing my far-away friends most dreadfully. not that i don't always miss them, it just seems that lately i feel their absence more acutely.

happily i received a letter from one yesterday. reading it made an already wonderful day that much more bright. i love how the internet brings us all together, but there is nothing like an old-fashioned letter. she made a book from postcards, & wrote on the backsides of them - that's the front one, pictured above. don't tell her i told you, but that woman sure can write tiny. i nearly needed a magnifying glass!

***

as i type this i'm "chatting" with another friend who is too far away. we knew each other in person for less than a year, & have managed to stay connected the 7 years since i moved back to california. in this case, i am more grateful for the internet than i can say. the near daily chats with her have allowed us to become the best of friends, whilst still paying attention to our families. mostly ;-)

of course i have not forgotten you, my imaginary blog friends. i am grateful for you, knowing that you're there reading, & the occasional comments & emails you send. i only wish you'd write more often. don't be afraid, i don't bite. well i do, but only manlyman.

that's all i have to say today. my mind is filled with thoughts of friends, so i thought i'd gush a bit more. i hope you get to see people you love today.~peace.

16 February 2009

well? did you have a lovely valentine's day? mine was quite nice. thehobbit decided we should set a fancy table for dinner, complete with candles, & place-markers. he did an excellent job, & of course i forgot to take photos. since then, he's set a fancy table for every meal. it's great fun, but i don't have many of my good dishes left (thank you '94 earthquake), so don't know how much longer i can allow it.

my good dishes were hand-me-downs from my mother in law. they're depressionware - nothing fancy, but i love them. if thehobbit doesn't tire of the fancy table soon, i may get some glass plates from the dollar store. they look like clear, not so pretty versions of depressionware, so perhaps thehobbit will find them fancy enough.

***

the good: last week martha showed an excellent way to keep seeds & seed packets. i found a plastic bin i was no longer using, & set about marthafying (real word) my seeds. up till now i kept them all in a beautiful, old box. this is not as pretty, but it is easier to keep track of them, & the plastic box can tolerate the dirt & water of the farm.

the bad: i washed my little throw pillows. lazy as i am, i didn't bother to create a pillow first, then sew covers out of the vintage linen. nope, i just sewed the cases, stuffed them, & stitched them shut. that meant that i could not hand-wash the pillows, so into lady macbeth they went. they never made it to her dryer, for when i opened her wash i found it filled with vast amounts of stuffing, & these:

ripped, empty linen cases. one was so shredded that i didn't bother saving it. the pillows were small to begin with, so i cannot make smaller ones with what i have left. that will teach me not to be lazy with sewing projects. or not.

the hawk: my family loves hawks. manlyman is convinced the hawk is his spirit animal, because they seem to follow him everywhere. at work there is one that will land a few feet from him, & just watch him play golf.

our neighborhood hawk spent the morning at the top of our pecan tree. because of the rain, i couldn't go outside to get a proper photo. i had to take it through a window - hence the poor quality.

he's camera shy - kept turning his head away, so i couldn't get a shot of his face. i wish i could have gotten a better photo to share with you; he truly is beautiful.

***

& now i'm off to snuggle with my menfolk, & listen to the storm rage outside our warm, little belfry. i hope your day is spent with those you love.

12 February 2009

i meant to post these photos after the field trip, but i forgot. we had a lovely time, spending most of the day out of doors. as much as we wanted to see the museum's ancient treasures, we could not resist the sunshine, & the crisp sea air. this is what you see when you look just above the museum:

it's hard to believe that looking the other direction, you see the ocean. i love california's coast.

of their gardens, this is my family's favorite. it's the kitchen garden! beyond the pond; & behind where i was standing; are fruit trees, & beds of herbs. i'll have to take more photos this summer, so you can see it in all its glory.

there is also a grape arbor,

through which friends may stroll. my first thought when i saw them was oh how sweet are they?; then i realized they were most likely plotting some great bit of mischievousness, & the moment was gone.

that's all for today. i have more to do than there are hours of daylight, so really should get to it.

11 February 2009

february 12th marks the 200th birthday of abraham lincoln. as a child he was my favorite president, to the extent that i had a framed painting of him on the wall of my bedroom. i still think he rocked, but for the life of me can no longer recall why i was that gaga.

thehobbit knew a bit about lincoln, but we never formally studied the man. i thought this would be the perfect time; after all, one only turns 200 once. after poking through a few books yesterday, thehobbit decided we should build replicas of lincoln's childhood home. i was dreading the thought of popsicle sticks & mud, when he appeared dragging his box of lincoln logs. i thought a) whew, & 2) duh - of course lincoln's home should be made from lincoln logs. good thing one of us remembered we had those.

as you can see, thehobbit knew the appropriate hat for the occasion:

as we built cabin after cabin & why does he not tire of things as quickly as i? we talked about all that we'd read, & discussed more lincolny activities in which to take part.

one thing we agreed upon was the need for a birthday cake - we just cannot agree on what flavor licoln would want. i suggested we ask sir fennel (our ghost) to ask lincoln himself; but thehobbit merely rolled his eyes. for a moment i sat there shocked that he no longer believed in his beloved ghost, when he said with a long-suffering voice, i doubt they know each other. lincoln was a president, & sir fennel lived in england. oh. well. how could i have been so obtuse?

i'm not sure what lincolny activity is on the books for today. i do know one of us is interested in more cabin building. i also know one of us is not. one of the books has instructions for making a felt beard that attaches to your ears with rubber bands. this is just odd enough to sound like something we have to make. i wonder if i can convince thehobbit that we should wear them all day? who wouldn't want to run into a bearded mama & hobbit at the library?

i know some of you one & only readers live elsewhere in the world. are there any special celebrations going on in your neck of the woods this year?

time for me to be off. there are beards to sew, chores to get to, & friends to be met. have a great day!

08 February 2009

birthday number eleven was, to quote thehobbit: the best birthday ever! as predicted, he woke a) too bloody early, & 2) thrilled out of his mind that it was his birthday.because of the storms we had to cancel the day at disneyland with grammie.

we did have to go to disneyland though, to pick up thehobbit's gift card. this year disneyland is offering birthday gifts to anyone who signs up. after registering (& showing proof of id) you get free entry to the park. those with annual passes can choose from a few gifts - we chose the gift card. it was worth the price of entry ($69!), & good at any of their shops.

the rain wasn't too terribly bad, & we only needed to use our umbrellas a few times. the best part was that there were few people there. those who braved the rain all seemed to be people with positive attitudes. to be honest, it was lovely.

thehobbit knew he wanted a little wall-e toy. they had bigger ones with all the bells & whistles, but he wanted the little one he could carry in his pocket. fine with me! after looking through a zillion three shops, we headed into california adventure for veggie burgers & fries.

across from the restaurant was an aviator-themed shop. thehobbit nearly fainted when he saw the jacket of his dreams! he had just enough money left on the gift card to pay for it - shiny, happy people! here is the back view:

it says sky leader, & has a picture of mickey mouse flying an old plane. the front & sleeves have patches - disney versions of aviator patches. now he can play hogan's heroes in style. which he has. constantly. since.

manlyman & i were thrilled he chose the jacket over more toys he didn't need. we weren't surprised however - the apple doesn't fall too far from the belfry.

after that we walked through downtown disney, & saw the movie coraline in 3d. i absolutely loved this film! the menfolk did as well, though it scared the pee out of thehobbit. i had a feeling he should not have seen it, but we promised a movie, & it was the only thing for kids that was playing. ok that dog hotel movie was as well, but i'd rather give my kid nightmares (which i did), than see that film. if you have an interest in coraline, you must check out their website. watch the little movies, especially the knitting! the teeny gloves & sweaters this woman knit! it will blow your mind.

***

thus far eleven has rocked. except for yesterday when i found that thehobbit had labeled everything in the bathroom. for xmas his grammie gave him one of those fun labelers we all had as children. he quickly used all the tape, so grandmama & grandpa sent him a ton of tape for his birthday. yes, very cool indeed. unfortunately he gets all his naughty genes from his daddy-o & me; of which there are many; hence the great bathroom labeling incident. it took forever to get it all peeled off, & he cried at the loss of his artwork. fun.

well that is all for today. i hope you enjoyed the post-elevensies update. i also hope you are able to sit down for a pee without having to remove a label from the seat first.

05 February 2009

tomorrow is your eleventh birthday. eleven! how did that happen? it seemed not so long ago that you were a tiny boy, with your toenails painted blue, & wonder in your huge, brown eyes.

you wore costumes; or bits of costumes; everywhere we went. you loved to sing & dance, never concerned that anyone could hear or see you. rarely could you be found without a stuffed animal in one hand, & rocks in both pockets. & oh my boy, you were the most silly child that ever there was.

today you are still quite silly, still wear costumes, still sing & dance; though only your daddy-o & i get to see that part of you. only we are gifted with seeing you smile so deeply that your dimples show.

to the rest of the world you appear more reserved, more introverted, more moody. many think that is who you are; they don't realize it is merely how you hide your yourself, & how you protect your heart.

your daddy-o & i are sad that you feel the need to hide & protect, but we understand. losing your first two best friends tore your heart to pieces. you stopped hugging & trusting other kids, & stopped believing that friends would love you forever.

as much as daddy-o & i wish we could go back & take away the things that altered you, we would not. they created who you are today, & that is someone we are very proud to call our son. you are intelligent, compassionate, warm, curious, & you feel things more deeply than most.

you are also so very interesting. you love (& understand!) physics, yet believe fully in santa, faeries, & dragons. you want to save the world like jane goodall, sing like elvis presley, cook like rick bayless, & dress like a dandy.

you are truly unique.

this morning you snuggled on my lap, & cried. you said you were sad to stop being ten, because you have had such a good year. i let you cry, & quietly talked with you about all the wonderful things about being 10.

you don't seem to remember that you go through this every year. with every birthday you are sad that you will no longer be the age you'd been - as though in leaving behind a number you had to leave behind who you were as well.

though you wouldn't believe us if we told you, daddy-o & i know that tomorrow you will have forgotten your sadness. you will wake (much earlier than we'll like) & bounce around the bed, proclaiming you are eleven! eleven! eleven!

tomorrow it is going to rain, some say heavily. it's fitting - you were born in the middle of el nino, storms raging constantly, for weeks on end. while tomorrow's rain has ruined our plans for the day, it won't ruin our day.

we three shall celebrate you, & celebrate your birth. we shall celebrate the day two people became a family.

03 February 2009

lilys house tagged me, & since she played along with the 68 things (also because she is sweet & sassy) i'm not going to ignore her like i did the 50 zillion people who tagged me for that facebook thing.

my photo:

that was january '08; some hogwarts experiment that i cannot, for the life of me, recall.

01 February 2009

... i did not burst into flames, nor was i dragged into the chasms of hell by demons who fly about, searching for mamas suffering from the blahs, & therefore acting nastily.

thehobbit's pizza of love was delicious, as was the giant bowl of soy ice cream with which i followed it. i ended the night early, by snuggling up to manlyman on the couch, & promptly falling asleep. sometimes only sleeping within the strong arms of the man who loves you can make things right again. that, & soy ice cream.

because i fell asleep so early, i wasn't able to sleep much the remainder of the night. this left me with a teensy headache, & a feeling of all-over grogginess. still!!! it is definitely not the blahs, so i'm fine with it.

***

today we're off to one of my most favorite local places, with two of our most favorite people. if you clicked on the first hotlink, the museum of which i speak is the villa. to spend the afternoon strolling through quiet halls, breathing in the beauty of the ancient world - it just doesn't get much better than that.

***

the above photos are a peek at sets of magnets i'm making. they're made of wooden hearts, the sides stained, & the tops decoupaged with words of love. more on these another time. i'm off to get ready for the day. i hope yours is lovely.